The Daily

A Revolution in How Democrats Pick a President

Feb 2, 2023

Adam Nagourney, West Coast cultural affairs correspondent for The New York Times, shares insights on a potential overhaul of the Democratic presidential nominating process. He discusses the possibility of South Carolina replacing Iowa as the first primary state, highlighting the importance of demographic representation. The conversation dives into the historical significance of Iowa and the implications of this shift on candidate dynamics. Nagourney emphasizes the balance between increasing voter engagement and the risk of limiting candidate choices in the evolving political landscape.

26:20

Creator website

Episode guests

Adam Nagourney

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Iowa's Inefficiency

01:27

The Democratic Party's Decision to Hold the South Carolina Primary

00:32

Intro

2min

The Evolution of Iowa's Role in Democratic Nominations

13min

Shifting the Early Vote: Iowa to South Carolina

6min

Navigating the Democratic Nomination Process: Choices and Trade-offs

3min

A Family's Plea for Justice Amidst Tragedy

2min

For the past 50 years, the race to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee has been shaped by the where the contest begins: Iowa.

But that process could soon be overhauled. In a coming meeting of the Democratic National Committee, South Carolina — a state that is more representative of the party and, possibly, of the country — could take over the key role of going first.

Guest: Adam Nagourney, a West Coast cultural affairs correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading:

President Biden’s push to abandon Iowa for younger, racially diverse states is likely to reward candidates who connect with the party’s most loyal voters.
Reshuffling the early-state order could run into logistical issues in Georgia and New Hampshire.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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